Winthrop captures Big South title in win over VMI

Rock Hill, SC (Sports Network) – Torrell Martin scored 17 points and Craig
Bradshaw added 15, as Winthrop captured an NCAA Tournament berth with an 84-81
victory over VMI in the championship game of the Big South Tournament.

Taj McCullough chipped in 14 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer late in
the second half for the Eagles (28-4), who will play in the NCAA Tournament
for the third straight year as conference tournament champs.

Winthrop has won the Big South Tournament seven times in the past nine years,
but has yet to win an NCAA Tournament contest. The Eagles were beaten by
Tennessee in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

VMI (14-19), the tournament’s sixth seed playing on Winthrop’s home floor, was
trying to earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in 30 years.

Travis Holmes scored 29 points for the Keydets, who had a chance to tie in the
final seconds.

After a lengthy delay to determine if a shot-clock violation had taken place,
the Keydets were awarded the ball with 9.7 seconds left trailing 84-81.
Winthrop extended its defense to the three-point arc and Reggie Williams badly
misfired on a 26-foot shot before the buzzer sounded.